The 13 Undeniable Skills of a Rockstar Administrative Assistant

A stellar Administrative Assistant can be a company’s secret weapon.

“Administrative Assistant” used to be synonymous with things like scheduling, bookkeeping, and arranging travel. Not so today.

While these functions are still an important part of the job, these days admins are tasked with a lot more. Often, Admins take on front-line strategic functions traditionally relegated to HR or operations – things like onboarding new hires and event planning.

Admins are also often tasked with managing company culture.

More and more, maintaining a positive office culture is critical for recruiting and retaining top talent, engaging employees, and inspiring them to perform their best. A company’s Admin is very often tasked with culture-related responsibilities like planning offsites, managing perks like office snacks, and generally maintaining the office vibe.

When it comes down to it, Admins are expected to keep things running smoothly, no matter what it takes. Think of them sort of like the “utility player” in baseball. They’re Jacks- and Jills-of-all-trades, expected to perform at a high level in a ton of different situations.

(PS – If you’re an Office Manager or Assistant, join our private FB Group here. It’s a place to connect, collaborate, and share advice on how to overcome the wide spectrum of challenges you face in your role.)

So it makes sense that today’s Admins need a wide array of skills in order to succeed in this challenging role.

But what are those skills? And what separates the good admins from the great?

That’s exactly what we asked our community of rockstar admins. Here are the skills that really pay the bills.

1. Creative Problem Solving

Since an Admin’s main responsibility is to keep things on point, problem-solving is an indispensable skill.

“Administrative Assistants are in a unique position to be polymaths – they know about so many different aspects of their work environment and are seen as a go-to for problem-solving.

The more they are able to effectively troubleshoot, the more valuable they become in their position because they keep everything moving smoothly.”

Creativity and the ability to improvise, according to Hnat, is a necessary part of the equation at companies of any size.

“I see this at both small and large-scale companies, but at a small company like mine, the impact of these skills is monumental and really gets you noticed.”

2. Proper Etiquette

Admins interface with people every single day. All sorts of people.

Like Office Managers, Admins are one of the few people in a company (other than perhaps the CEO or senior HR staff) that deal with employees at every level.

Of course, this isn’t limited to internal interactions. The Admin role is almost always forward-facing. If you’re an Admin, you’re often the gatekeeper for a department or executive, handling incoming calls, reaching out to vendors, or speaking directly with high level execs at other companies.

That’s why good manners and etiquette are so important. Admin Elizabeth White-Peters explains, telling us that manners are “a lost art that guides one through many challenging circumstances.”

According to White-Peters, one of the secrets to mastering the art of manners is in listening. She says,

“[A] rockstar [admin] listens not just to the words, but to tone and body language in order to read between the lines.”

Here’s an example of what she means:

“The phone rings. It’s an aggravated voice demanding to speak with the Manager. While smiling and being polite, an admin quickly assesses the situation. Based on company culture, several actions could take place: one could take a note and assure the caller it would be passed on, one could put the caller on hold and determine how to interrupt the manager/transfer the call, or one could try to resolve the issue directly.

By listening to language and tone, one can determine which actions to take. Each step of the way with polite communication, the potential of handling the situation to best results for the caller and manager increases.

‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ will be noticed by both. With experience, the admin will learn from the Manager what worked well and thus, know how to handle for the next occurrence.”

Admins, it turns out, need a high emotional IQ, and the ability to read people and react accordingly.

3. Foresight and Anticipation

The best Admins don’t need to be told what to do. They anticipate the solution before the problem even becomes a problem.

Kelly Todd started her career as an EA, supporting two execs at a HGTV-based production company. In her mind, it was her ability to anticipate that really made her shine.

“Paying attention to the details is really going to take you far because these execs demand perfection, and as nice as they can be, they want things to do be done right, and your job … is to make their lives easier.

If you can stay one step ahead of the boss, like, ‘I took care of taking this reservation for you because I see on the calendar that you’re blocked.’

That anticipation and that kind of preparedness over and above them is going to really make you stand out to them….

The [Admin] can be the Exec’s best friend, and if they’re thinking one step ahead of them, you’re going to stand out.”

Chelsea Hnat agrees:

“Since their work involves so many different aspects within a company, they have a distinct ability to predict potential challenges and outcomes.”

And while this is largely true – you shouldn’t try to write a financial model while you’re on a sales call, for instance – some of an Admin’s core responsibilities require them to knock out tasks simultaneously.

That’s because in addition to the bigger, more strategic responsibilities, rote tasks like filing or scheduling still often fall to Admins. Being able to get these done quickly – or simultaneously – is a major advantage. The best Admins do this effortlessly.

Stephanie Merritt, Administrative Assistant at Bonitz, explains:

“The top skill that an Administrative Assistant is the ability to multi-task. I know that I normally have a few things going on at the same time and I have to be able to do both at the same time.

For example: I have to make hotel rooms for our sub-contractors, while I am on the phone, I can answer emails, or finish up some paperwork.”

5. Adaptability

As we’ve noted before, an Admin’s responsibilities are wide and varied. Often, this means being able to stop on a dime and pivot towards a completely unrelated project. Things change quickly, and the best Admins can react and adapt with ease.

Here’s Merritt again to explain:

“The other top skill would be being able to change what you are working on in a moment’s notice. I can be in the middle of something and my boss walks in and says he needs something now, I have to stop what I am doing and do what he has asked of me, then get back on track for what I was doing before he came to see me.”

That’s a key point – it’s not just about quickly switching tasks, it’s about being able to get back on track once you switch back. After all, there’s very little that an Admin does that isn’t important.

6. Meticulous Organization

It might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s super important. When you’re working on a ton of different projects, you don’t have time to waste duplicating work due to a lack of organization.

When it comes to how you get organized, Stephanie Merritt contends that there’s only one rule – whatever works for you:

“No two people work the same. I like to finish a project before I start on another one. But that is not always possible, so I have to have reminders to tell me to finish the first project I was working on.

Everyone has their own organizational skills and know what works best for them. I’m a sight person. I use the calendar a lot. I also have stuff in my floor so I can keep up with everything.

One girl that I work with uses stacks on her desk, so she can be sure what she is working on is finished.”

7. Having a “Servant’s Heart”

First coined by Robert Greenleaf, the term “servant-leader” has made its way into the management lexicon as of late. It refers to a style of leadership that puts the well-being of others first. In practice, this means focusing on personal and professional development, and viewing one’s main responsibility to be to support the success of one’s team.

This idea of “service” is just as important in the Admin role as it is in a leadership role.

“This is very important. A rockstar executive or administrative assistant WANTS to serve their leader – whether the task is big or small. A strong admin knows that by helping achieve their boss’s goals they will achieve their own.”

-Valerie Gomez, Administrative Assistant at ADP

Great Admins are selfless, and know that their willingness to pitch in for the team helps ensure both the team’s success and their own.

8. Resourcefulness

The ability to improvise, think on your feet, and come up with solutions of the fly is one of the most important traits an Admin can pick up. Valerie Gomez explains why:

“I have yet to coordinate an event that goes off without a hitch regardless of how meticulous I plan. Whether there’s a last minute change in headcount that you already budgeted for or a system glitch in the monitor display 5 minutes before your boss’s presentation is scheduled to go live.

You must be able to think on your feet – whatever the problem, a rockstar admin will find a solution!”

Elizabeth White-Peters agrees that resourcefulness is a key trait, saying,

“I see AA’s as corporate MacGyver’s (remember that show from the 90’s?) who have their hands in a little of everything, are able to creatively solve problems, and are able to ask the right questions early on in order to prevent any gaps in projects or unexpected challenges.”

9. Grit

We’re all familiar with Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Well, the business world is not immune – far from it. Anyone who’s ever managed a project knows that challenges are inevitable.

Same goes for the Admin role. At some point, things will go sideways. Servers crash, phone systems go down, vendors flake, flights get cancelled, people quit.

This isn’t just about being resourceful. It’s about being strong enough to stand up to any situation. A rockstar Admin doesn’t crumble under pressure. The best ones persevere, rise to the occasion, and get the job done. That’s true grit.

10. Effective Communication

There’s no type of communication that Admins don’t touch. They have to be savvy on the phone, write good emails, and project confidence when they speak to employees at all levels face-to-face. Often, they have to write company-wide communications or even put together presentations on behalf of their boss.

No matter what the medium, their communication has to be clear, direct, and succinct. This is especially true for Admins who work closely with executives. CEOs and other senior leaders don’t want dissembling, rambling, or any other sort of run-around – they want you to get right to the point.

Learning the most effective way to do that helps separate the good Admins from the great ones.

11. Tech Savviness

Admins and technology sort of go hand in hand these days. It’s not just email anymore – Admins are expected to be proficient in a wide range of integrated apps and platforms.

When things go wrong, you can’t always rely on IT personnel. In fact, at smaller companies, the Admin might actually be the defacto tech guy or gal. If you can reboot a crashed computer, publish a blog post in WordPress, or even just restart the internet, you’ve got a leg up in the Admin Game.

12. Big Picture Thinking

Trusted Admins are often de facto advisors to senior leadership. They can serve as a sounding board for new ideas, suggest new processes, or even weigh-in on hiring decisions.

The best Admins provide valuable insight by making recommendations based on an understanding of a company’s business and its culture. Knowing how to think about things in the context of a bigger whole is critical.

13. Attention to Detail

If big picture thinking matters, the flipside is also true. Details are important in Admin work, and having a keen eye for them is indispensable.

Think about it – a lot of what an Admin does is relatively high-stakes. If you don’t get that exec on a flight, she might not be able to close that next round of funding that your company needs to keep the lights on.

If you don’t get a finicky vendor paid on time and for the right amount, they might turn around and sue your company. Or worst of all … an errant mistake on your part might make your boss look bad.

Quality control when it comes to details is a big asset for any Admin.

So what say you? Do you consider yourself a legendary Admin? What are the skills that have served you well? Don’t be shy, let us know in the comments below.

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16 Comments

These are all really great attributes of a Rockstar Admin. The skills that have served me well are: high integrity; knowing how to help someone even if you don’t give them what they want/ask for, always doing that little bit extra – it is appreciated and comes back to you; and getting to know as many people in your organization as you can, and what they do – you can accomplish this simply by putting a filled candy dish on your desk. Establish a rule that when they take a candy, they must give you a piece of information you don’t already know about themselves or the organization. Once you get to know the people under your boss, it’s a lot easier to service and manage the office. Just a few things that help make life and work easier for you and your boss. And always, always have a positive mental attitude first thing in the morning when greeting people – it’s contagious and becomes part of how they remember you – helps with the Corporate Climate too!

Anyone who doubts that this is a challenging career that requires diversely talented people, is simply fooling themselves. These professionals are typically not compensated anywhere near their value to a company.

While it’s really helpful to remind the wider world of the wide ranging, diverse and vital roles and tasks that Executive Assistants, PAs and Admins fulfil every day in their work, it doesn’t serve the professional credibility of our profession very well at all to use labels such as ‘rockstar’ or ‘superhero’ or ‘wonder woman’ or any other similar terminology. If we want our profession to be taken seriously, respected on an equal footing to other professions, the terminology and language we use, and behaviours we adopt every day are an important part of that mission. While I absolutely agree with all the numbered elements of what goes in to make an effective and professional Assistant, please can we stop using terminology like ‘rockstar’ or ‘superhero’. I hope you understand where I’m coming from with this.

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